


For Life Goes Not Backward

by Boldlynyooming (arka_r)



Category: Star Trek: Picard
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Casual Racism, Dorks in Love, Enemies to Lovers, Families of Choice, Friends to Lovers, Lovers To Enemies, M/M, Qowat Milat, Romulans, Star Trek: Picard never happened, Tal Shiar, Trans Character, Zhat Vash, casual transphobia, their relationship is... complicated
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:34:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22922650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arka_r/pseuds/Boldlynyooming
Summary: AU where the events in Star Trek: Picard never happenedElnor just started his new life at New Romulus, binding himself to the Romulan Republic's cause not as aqalankhkai, but as a simple security officer. On his first day at work, he's assigned to investigate a missing scientist.His partner? None other than Narek.
Relationships: Elnor/Narek
Comments: 14
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I HAVE NO EXCUSE FOR THIS *wails*
> 
> i just went "haha what if" one day and before i knew it, it spiraled out of control. the result? this fic. 
> 
> also, this is an AU set in year 2410 (11 years after picard canon in 2399, 23 years after destruction of romulus/hobus supernova in 2387). in this fic, elnor is 35, narek is 37. you don't need to know about star trek online to understand what's going on in this fic, because i'll be explaining things. i'm just borrowing the sets because i'm in love with new romulus and the romulan republic
> 
> title is from kahlil gibran's poetry titled 'on children'
> 
> You may give them your love but not your thoughts,  
> For they have their own thoughts.  
> You may house their bodies but not their souls,  
> For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.  
> You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.  
> For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.
> 
> as always, i don't know where this is going tbh so let's just roll with it yeah? it's also unbetaed so if you'd like to beta this, hit me up (nicely)!

The suns were just beginning to rise when Elnor woke up, the sunlight spilling into the room and bathing it in its golden radiance. The room was an unfamiliar one and he stared at the light fixture above his head before he remembered where he was.

Oh.  _ Right _ . He was at New Romulus.

He and the Qowat Milat were just moving in to assist with the rebuilding effort of their new home planet. After twenty-three years becoming the dregs of the Beta Quadrant, the Romulans finally rose once again under the banner of Romulan Republic, led by a reunificationist named D’Tan.

The Republic gave the Qowat Milat a plot of land somewhere at the edge of the city as a thank you for everything they’d done at the colony on Vashti, which had been recently dismantled. But since Elnor was not technically a Qowat Milat, he agreed to move into one of the communal houses provided by the Republic.

It wasn’t bad, actually. The house was adequately equipped with everything he needed. But Elnor was not used with living alone after twenty years living with the nuns of the Qowat Milat. It was… a bizarre experience, that he finally had a place he could call his own. He was not alone in his plight — he knew that Zani was worried about him.

However, the two of them agreed that it was for the best. It was time he ‘moved out’, so to speak, and made his contribution separate from the Qowat Milat. That was the reason he agreed to join the Republic’s security team.

Once he was done with his morning routine, Elnor replicated a set of uniform — a waist-length coat, gold in color with grey paneled collar, black gloves, dark brown pants, and black boots. They were different than the outfit he normally wore, but at least they didn’t look like Tal Shiar uniform. 

“Cancel mirror”, he said once he was done tying his hair up in his usual topknot, and his reflection fizzled out of existence. 

His superior officer agreed to let him have his  _ tan-qalanq _ sword instead of the standard disruptor. He sheathed it in its scabbard on his back. Once everything was done, he left the house and locked the door behind him.

Today was his first day at work, and he would be lying to say that he wasn’t excited.

—

He reached at New Romulus Command on foot, since the communal housing complex was only a stone’s throw away from it. Once he was there, he found that he was the first to arrive, so he waited on one of the chairs provided while reading some news on the PADD that someone left behind.

The second one to arrive was a man who could only be described as ‘ruggedly handsome’. His hair was short and wavy, which made him look like he just rolled out of the bed, a stark contrast to his neatly trimmed beard.

“You’re the new guy”, the man said to Elnor.

“Jolan tru”, Elnor greeted him. “My name is Elnor.”

“Narek”, the man returned. “No need to be so formal. Pretty sure we’re the same rank anyway. You arrived so early.”

“Punctuality is a virtue”, Elnor said.

“Hm, pretty sure that was ‘patience’”, Narek mused.

“Is it? I always seem to confuse the two”, Elnor returned, tilting his head slightly.

“Well, I can teach you the difference”, Narek said. “If you want it.”

“Flirting with the new guy already, Narek?” a woman said as she walked into the room. Just like Narek and Elnor, she too wore the security officer uniform. Her long brown hair was tied back into a ponytail.

“You know me, Saehha”, Narek returned, throwing a wink to Elnor.

“I don’t understand. Were you attempting to flirt with me?” Elnor asked, his eyes narrowing.

Narek stared at him for one full second, before throwing his head back, laughing. 

“No! That was a joke”, Narek said once he sobered up. “Contrary to popular belief, I don’t always flirt with everyone I meet.”

“I… see…” Elnor eyed Narek warily.

“Well, tell that to Maelkha”, the woman, Saehha, said. “She was all broken hearted when you stood up on her last week, you jerk.”

“Why are you still mad at me about that? I told you I tried to turn her down several times already”, Narek retorted. “Not my fault she still insisted on that date.”

Elnor watched as Narek and Saehha bantered with each other — they seemed to forget that he was there, so he refrained from saying anything. He went back to his reading, while the rest of the security team arrived one by one. 

Not long after, Subcommander Varok arrived and immediately called for assembly. Elnor, Narek, and Saehha, along with the other security team members stood in attention at the center of the room. There were twenty three of them, not including Subcommander Varok.

“More Hirogen hunters are sighted at Paehhos Crater this morning, terrorizing our scientists who work there”, Varok told them. “Now, we don’t know how they managed to blow right through our defenses, but a scientist is reported missing.”

Varok waved his hand and a holographic screen appeared between him and the security team. A man’s face appeared in it.

“This is Khelav, one of our biologists. His team reported that he went missing after he failed to report back an hour ago. They didn’t want to search for him and risk being abducted themselves, so they asked for our help”, Varok said.

“Because we are more disposable than the scientist”, Elnor heard Narek said quietly.

“Damn right we are”, Varok growled — apparently, he heard what Narek said. “Elnor, you’re a trained  _ qalankhkai _ , right? I read your credentials, so I’m sending you to the Paehhos Crater to find Khelav.”

“Yes, sir. Copy that, sir”, Elnor replied.

“Don’t be so formal. We’re all family here”, Varok chided. “Narek, you go with him, because you’re an asshole and you’re scarily good at finding people.”

“You said we’re family in one breath and then sent me to go hunt for Hirogen hunters in the next”, Narek shook his head.

“Shut up, boy”, Varok returned without missing a beat. “The rest of you, I’m splitting you up into three teams to run patrols on Hwael Ruins, Isha Forest, and Vastam Peaks.”

Narek guided Elnor away from the room just as the rest of the security team descended into chaos trying to form their own team. For some reason that Elnor could not understand, patrolling Vastam Peaks was most preferable, while patrolling Hwael Ruins was the least preferable.

“Children, the lot of them”, Narek said, shaking his head.

Elnor couldn’t help but quietly agree.

—

After arming themselves with standard patrol gears (and a disruptor for Narek), the two of them took a shuttle to Paehhos Crater, where they would be meeting with the scientists there. From there, they would begin the search for the missing scientist — hopefully before the Hirogen did anything bad to them.

“So, I thought only women can be Qowat Milat”, Narek said as soon as they were on board the transport.

Elnor let out a sigh but resumed recalibrating his personal shield. Of course his colleague would be curious about  _ that. _

“They are”, Elnor answered curtly.

“So, what’s your story here?” Narek asked. “Did you dress up as a girl so they can train you or what?”

“You are very nosy”, Elnor not-quite answered bluntly.

“‘Nosy’ could be my false-name. Now come on, I thought Qowat Milat can’t lie”, Narek urged.

“That they are”, Elnor returned and watched in amusement as Narek’s frustration grew.

They reached Paehhos Crater in no time and Narek, thankfully, stopped trying to dig into Elnor’s past. They met with Ataak, the leader of the research team there, who gave them more details about Khelav.

“He’s one of our biologists. Before he went missing, he was in the middle of studying  _ vivver _ , a nocturnal creature that roams the forest”, Ataak explained. “He embarked at fifteenth hour last night and was supposed to report back at third. We never heard from him, and our scientists are too afraid to look for him.”

“Does the Hirogen appear frequently in the forest?” Narek asked, his face serious. His demeanor had changed as soon as they stepped out of the transport.

“They are  _ everywhere _ — even worse, they are often cloaked and invisible until you get too close to them!” Ataak replied frustratedly. “I met with one when visiting my team at the Vastam Peaks. I managed to escape with my life and dignity intact, thankfully.”

“I’m sorry — did you say Vastam Peaks?” Elnor asked, suddenly concerned.

Ataak nodded. “None of us dare to go to the top because of the combination between the Hirogen, the Dewan arthropods, and the  _ vihranen _ swarms — not to mention the fog makes it hard to see!”

“Their base might be there, then”, Narek said as he rubbed his chin contemplatively. Then, something dawned on him. “Oh. Oh no—”

“The patrol team on Vastam Peaks”, Elnor said.

“They might not know about the Hirogen lurking there”, Narek returned. “They’ll be easy target.”

“We should go warn them”, Elnor nodded, before turning to Ataak. “If the Hirogen set up a base on Vastam Peaks, Khelav might be there.”

“I don’t care, I just want him to be safe”, Ataak told them. “Please,  _ please _ bring him back safe.”

“We will do our best”, Elnor promised, which seemed to reassure Ataak a bit.


	2. Chapter 2

The two of them got out of the scientists’ tent and immediately contacted Subcommander Varok.

“Varok here”, the Subcommander said through the comm. “What is it, Elnor?”

“Sir, we may have some clues that the Hirogen have set up a base on the top of Vastam Peaks”, Elnor answered. “And we believe that our patrol team there may be in danger.”

“Vastam Peaks, you said?” Varok said. “Huh. You know, I lost contact with them roughly ten minutes ago, but I had assumed that it’s due to the terrain.”

Elnor’s eyes widened. He eyed Narek who was standing next to him.

“I  _ would _ have sent you there right this instant, but I’ve received contact from the other two teams that they found Tholians deep in the forest and I am  _ not _ sending you two there by yourselves”, Varok continued. “Hang on, I may be able to ask for backups from the Alliance — either the Federation or the Klingon Empire. They may be able to assist us.”

Narek suddenly took the comm from Elnor’s hand. “Sir, with all due respect, our people may not be able to wait that long. This is the Hirogen we’re talking about — and if they have abducted them—”

“You two are  _ not _ going to raid their base all by yourselves, and that  _ is _ final!” Varok interrupted Narek. “We may joke that we are disposable, but you two are a valued member of the Romulan Republic. Never forget that each blood spilled is a loss to our cause to preserve our civilization and culture.”

“Oh gee, thank you, sir. I’m blushing a bit here”, Narek returned, though Elnor could not see any sign of him blushing.

“Wait for the backups on the mountain’s pass. I repeat, you are  _ not _ going to Vastam Peaks without backup”, Varok said. “Varok out.”

And with that, the communication was cut off. Narek returned the comm back to Elnor, before he stared off into the distance. He was quiet for a long moment and Elnor couldn’t understand what he was thinking.

“What are we going to do now?” Elnor asked, finally, breaking the silence.

Narek eyed him. “I don’t know, I— I don’t know if both our lives are worth against seven security officers, a scientist, and who knew who else the Hirogen had gotten their grubby hands on.”

“We can just, you know”, Elnor shrugged. “Go up there. Backups be damned.”

Narek let out a chuckle.

“Why are you laughing?” Elnor asked.

“I don’t know how things are for the Qowat Milat, but in the Command we can’t just go against our superior like that”, Narek told him. “There’s order, the chain of command. They exist so that things won’t fall apart.”

“Well, it’s like the Subcommander said”, Elnor said. “Every blood spilled is a loss to our cause. What is two lives compared to eight?”

Narek was quiet for a moment, but Elnor saw determination was beginning to form in him, and he knew that it was only about time he agreed with Elnor’s suggestion.

“What the hell, you seem to be so sure you can take down the Hirogen”, Narek eventually said. 

Elnor gave him a shrug.

“Alright then”, Narek said, rubbing his hands together. “Let’s go for a little hike now, shall we?”

—

The hike to the mountain’s pass was not as hard as Elnor imagined — they met with a Hirogen hunter on the way, which Elnor took down in a blink of an eye — but otherwise it was pretty safe. The two of them passed the camp on the mountain’s pass where Subcommander Varok told them to wait for the Federation/Klingon backups. However, when they peered from a safe distance, they couldn’t see the backups yet. Perhaps they hadn’t yet arrived.

Well, it didn’t matter, anyway.

As they continued the hike up to Vastam Peaks, the fog greeted them almost immediately. Visibility was low and it was hard to see more than five meters in either direction. Elnor nodded at Narek and unsheathed his  _ tan-qalanq _ , while Narek held his disruptor up. Together, they advanced up, weapons at the ready.

They found a well-trodden path, a proof that people had walked around this pathway before — whether they were Republic people or the Hirogen, Elnor didn’t know. The path was barren from all vegetation, and the fog made it like they were in a different planet. It was quiet too, so eerily quiet, the only noise he could hear was the wind rushing in his ears.

His ears caught a whir of a disruptor charging while his eyes caught a flash of green on his right and Elnor, out of instinct, pushed Narek out of harm’s way.

“What the—” Narek said, but Elnor ignored him and rushed towards their assailant, his  _ tan-qalanq  _ ready. However, when he swung it, it met with nothing but empty air.

“Was that—” Narek began to say.

“Romulan disruptor fire, yes”, Elnor returned, before calling to the air before him. “We are with the Republic!”

“Elnor, ssh!” Narek hissed, and Elnor turned back toward his partner, confused.

Another green disruptor fire flashed and this time, the two of them were ready. Elnor twisted around the fire and swung his  _ tan-qalanq _ , slicing the body of a Romulan woman. She fell to the ground, green blood pooling underneath her lifeless body.

Judging from her uniform, she was Tal Shiar.

Elnor’s eyes widened at the sight.

“Why would the Tal Shiar—” Elnor paused when his ears caught shouting from all around them. It seemed that they had been completely surrounded.

“Don’t know, but. Talk less, fight more”, Narek returned as he shot into the fog. A man cried out as Narek’s fire hit its target and the sound of a body falling to the ground rang clear in the quiet clearing.

Elnor nodded in agreement and advanced,  _ tan-qalanq _ raising before he swung it at an  _ uhlan _ wearing Tal Shiar uniform. He fell to the ground, and when the  _ uhlan _ next to him aimed his disruptor at Elnor, he too fell before he could fire it.

“Good aim”, Elnor told Narek.

“Don’t go rushing off like that”, Narek appeared from the fog. “I can’t tell the difference between you and the Tal Shiar in this fog.”

“I’m not cowering behind you like some kind of maiden in distress”, Elnor argued.

“Pretty sure that was ‘damsel in distress’”, Narek countered. “Grab a disruptor, if you must. Can you even shoot a disruptor?”

“I am… adequate”, Elnor returned, hesitating, but did as he was told. He sheathed his  _ tan-qalanq _ back into its scabbard on his back and picked up a disruptor from a dead Tal Shiar operative’s hand on the ground. Its weight was unfamiliar in his hands.

“Somehow that doesn’t fill me with confidence”, Narek said.

As the two of them pushed forward, they found that the fog had thinned — but that was not the only thing they found. There was odd machineries lining the cliff wall and a communication array pointing up to the sky. Someone had set up a base here, it seemed, and it was not the Hirogen.

More Tal Shiar operatives poured into the area. Without the fog blinding them, Elnor threw his disruptor aside and charged forward with his  _ tan-qalanq _ ready. He sliced through the formation, while Narek picked up the ones he missed.

The whole fight was over in less than a minute.

“Narek!” a voice called out. Both Elnor and Narek turned, only to find their colleagues along with several civilians tied to the cliff wall. Khelav was among them.

Elnor was about to move toward them when Narek tossed him a keycard, which he caught and then used to free the patrol team and the civilians. Meanwhile, Narek walked to one of the consoles and fiddled with it.

“Why are the Tal Shiar here?” Elnor asked once he joined Narek.

“Why else do you think?” Narek asked back, his fingers still tapping away at the console’s keypad. “Romulan Star Empire doesn’t acknowledge the Republic’s independence. It’s likely that the Tal Shiar are sent to take down the Republic from the inside, to spread fear and dissent — although their method is dubious at best.”

“Dubious?” Elnor asked.

“Don’t you think it’s best that they blend in with the civilians and infiltrate the Command? Setting up a base in the mountain and kidnapping people seem very…” Narek paused, sighing. “Counterproductive.”

“I… see…” Elnor said slowly.

“I downloaded everything I could. Now, let’s go back. This place gives me the creeps”, Narek told him.

“Wait”, Elnor said. “We didn’t get what we came here for.”

Narek stared at him in confusion for one brief moment, before realization dawned on him. “Right, the Hirogen”, he said. “Do you think they’re still somewhere up here?”

“There’s still parts of the mountain we haven’t checked yet”, Elnor shrugged.

Narek looked to their colleagues and the civilians, before looking back at Elnor. He looked rather conflicted, though Elnor didn’t know why.

“You can choose to go with them and escort the civilians back to the city”, Elnor told Narek.

“And leave you alone hunting for Hirogen hunters?” Narek retorted. “ _ Fuck _ , Elnor. Let’s just forget about the Hirogen. It’s not what we’re ordered for, anyway.”

Elnor shook his head. “I can’t”, he said. “If we leave them alone, they will continue to terrorize the scientists.”

Narek mussed his hair, seemingly in frustration — and Elnor didn’t understand why was he so frustrated. However, before he could ask it, Narek let out a deep sigh and looked at him in the eye.

“What the hell. Let’s go, then”, he said to Elnor.

Elnor blinked in surprise. 

“You are coming with me?” he asked. He had thought that Narek’s reluctance was caused by him not wanting to go with Elnor.

“Can’t leave your self-righteous ass get killed on your first day of work, can we?” Narek asked back, before he approached the patrol team. “Go take the civilians back to the city”, Elnor heard him say.

The patrol team protested a bit but eventually they left along with the civilians. Elnor watched them go and disappear into the fog, before Narek approached him again.

“Now, let’s go hunt for some Hirogen’s scaly ass”, Narek said.

Elnor gave him a nod, and the two of them continued their hike up to the mountaintop.


	3. Chapter 3

Without the fog obstructing their view, Elnor and Narek continued their trek, following the well-trodden path they found earlier, which led them up to the mountaintop. They were careful in their steps and fully intended to use the element of surprise to ambush whoever was waiting for them. 

It didn’t take long until they found another Tal Shiar camp. This one had several Hirogen hunters walking around as if they owned the place. They were big — even bigger than the one Elnor and Narek encountered in the forest, and their armor made them rather menacing. The Tal Shiar operatives around them looked so small in comparison.

Narek produced a stun grenade from his pocket and threw it towards the gathering Hirogen and Tal Shiar operatives. They shouted in surprise as it blew in their face, stunning them for awhile. After that, it was easy picking. Elnor moved to handcuff the Tal Shiar operatives and the Hirogen, who barely struggled thanks to the grenade.

“Where did you get that thing?” Elnor asked.

“The Tal Shiar base down there”, Narek answered. “Where did you get the cuffs?”

“It’s in the standard patrol gear the quartermaster gave us?” Elnor asked back, confused. “Did you not get the cuffs?”

“I… don’t know. We don’t usually take prisoners, you see”, Narek answered. “But it is a special circumstance, I suppose, taking prisoners in. Perhaps we can gain some knowledge.”

“We will not reveal anything to you terrorists!” one of the Tal Shiar centurions they captured spat.

“So, are we killing them or not?” Elnor asked, raising his bloodied  _ tan-qalanq _ . The Tal Shiar centurion paled at the sight of it.

“Easy, slashy boy. We might have some use for them yet”, Narek said. “I saw a communication jammer there. It might be what’s been preventing us from using our comm, but I may be able to bring it down so we can call some backups to escort us back to the city.”

“Do it then”, Elnor told Narek.

“Watch out for  _ their _ backups”, Narek warned Elnor, before moving to the consoles. Elnor raised his  _ tan-qalanq  _ as he readied himself for ambush.

When his ears caught a whir of the disruptor, Elnor rolled to the side just in time as a disruptor fire hit the ground where he was standing. He quickly gathered his bearings and saw the incoming Hirogen hunters, followed by Tal Shiar operatives.

The fight that followed was… chaotic. Elnor was torn between protecting Narek and the people the two of them captured — because it seemed that the Tal Shiar would rather have their fellow operatives die than be captured. His enemies saw this and they split themselves into two: one group was focusing their attack on Narek, while the other went after the captured Tal Shiar.

Eventually, Narek brought down the communication jammer and quickly commed Subcommander Varok to request for backups. In no time, the mountaintop base was overrun with Federation officers and the fight was over just like that. They even managed to capture Commander Ruul of Romulan Star Empire, who was responsible for the whole operation on New Romulus ground.

It felt a little bit anticlimactic, Elnor thought.

But hey, it wasn’t like he was complaining.

—

“What in the Elements were you two thinking?!” Subcommander Varok yelled.

Narek and Elnor, along with their Federation backups and the Tal Shiar prisoners they captured, hiked down from the Vastam Peaks and beamed back to New Romulus Command. As soon as the prisoners were processed and the Federation officers left the Command, Subcommander Varok called the two of them into his office.

“I do not know about Narek, but I was thinking that—” Elnor stopped himself when Subcommander Varok threw him a particularly harsh glare, and swallowed any defense he had prepared back in. 

Fear was an unfamiliar feeling, and right now, he feared for his life more than when he faced the Tal Shiar and the Hirogen.

“You two disobeyed direct order and went against my command!” Varok barked angrily. “You should be thankful that I don’t  _ fire _ you on the spot!”

Elnor eyed Narek, but the other guy was just as quiet as himself.

“Well?! Don’t you two have anything to say?” Varok asked.

“We were worried about our colleagues and the captured civilians, sir”, Narek answered, sparing Elnor from having to answer. “And we were worried that if we wait for backups, something even worse would happen to them.”

“Elnor?” Varok asked as he turned towards Elnor.

Elnor gulped, before answering. “What Narek said, sir.”

“And you two were so confident that you could take down a whole base of Hirogen, just the two of you against an unknown number of specialized Hirogen hunters?” Varok asked again.

“Yes, sir”, Elnor answered, just as Narek said, “No, sir.”

Elnor turned to Narek, betrayed.

“Now listen here, you two”, Varok said with a growl. “You  _ do not _ , I repeat, you  _ do not _ , under all circumstance, to pull this stupid reckless stunt ever again! Your life belongs to the Republic now, so don’t go around throwing your life for— for some kind of heroic, idiotic deed! We have the Alliance for that!”

“I don’t understand”, Elnor said. “Are you saying that we’re letting the Alliance — the Federation and the Klingon Empire — to die for us?”

“Precisely”, Varok returned curtly. “You may have noticed that we don’t have a lot of resources as for now. Our people are spread thin trying to fill the roles to rebuild our new home planet. Every death is an insurmountable loss. So leave the dying part on the Federation and the Klingon, you got it?”

“That doesn’t very honorable of us”, Elnor mused.

“Honor is for the reckless”, Varok said with a shrug. “And we cannot afford to be reckless, now more than ever.”

“I… see…” Elnor hummed.

“Since you disobeyed against direct order, I’m giving you two disciplinary action”, Varok said as he pulled a holo-screen on the table between them.

“Oh, come on! We just saved a bunch of people!” Narek protested, but Varok was unfazed.

“You two will be stationed to guard the front door of the New Romulus Command, starting tomorrow until the end of the week”, the Subcommander said and Narek let out a long groan. “You two will also have your curfew moved up from fifteenth hour to thirteenth hour. I’m sending you codes for your brand new uniform to your personal replicator. Any question?”

“No, sir”, Elnor and Narek answered in unison.

“Good. You two are dismissed”, Varok said.

Elnor and Narek was about to walk out of the room, when the Subcommander called their name again.

“It’s good to have you back alive, boys”, Varok said.

“It is good to be alive, sir”, Elnor returned.

—

“Elnor!”

Elnor was about to head home when he heard someone calling his name. He turned and found Saehha and the rest of the security officers gathering by the front door. Narek was there too, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Why don’t you come with us? We want to go out and celebrate for not being dead today”, Saehha said. “That, and as thank you for saving some of our asses today.”

“Your gratitude is unnecessary”, Elnor said with a reassuring smile. “I bound myself to the Republic’s cause, and saving you is simply a part of that.”

Saehha blinked, surprise clear in her face. “Ouch”, was all she said, and her reaction confused Elnor.

“Leave him alone guys. If he doesn’t want to go, we should not force him. Right, nun boy?” Narek asked as he made a move as if trying to hug Elnor, but he slapped the offending arm away.

“Do  _ not _ call me that”, he said, glaring at Narek.

Before Narek could say anything, Elnor turned away and began his trek back to the communal housing complex.

He had thought that moving to New Romulus and starting a new life separate from the Qowat Milat would be different. His whole life, he had been excluded from the society for being raised by the Qowat Milat. People called him names, like ‘sister boy’ or ‘nun boy’. So, to hear Narek so casually calling him ‘nun boy’, even in jest… it hurt.

He was still fuming when he reached his house. He threw his boots and his scabbard away before throwing himself to the bed, sighing deeply as he stared at the light fixture above his head. 

His first day at work had been quite… eventful, to say the least, and he was beginning to feel the ache from the battle he went through. He would have fallen asleep right then, but he remembered that he still needed to take care of the blood on his blade first.  _ Damn _ .

With a sigh, Elnor rose from his bed, before taking the maintenance kit from its storage under his bed. Better to take care of his  _ tan-qalanq _ now than later, he thought. And besides, he always found the whole process rather meditative.

Sitting cross-legged on the floor, he took out the blade from its scabbard and began to work.


	4. Chapter 4

New Romulus had two suns.

It was probably the most prominent difference it had from Romulus and Vashti, which both planets only had one each. Their shine was weaker, though, allowing the Azure Nebula — which resided in the same sector — to shine more prominently, washing the planet in blueish hue.

Another difference New Romulus had from Romulus and Vashti was that the planet required twenty hours to complete its rotation on its axis, whereas Romulus and Vashti only required eighteen hours. It made the day longer than what Elnor was normally used to, but it gave him time to do more things during the day.

Like jogging.

Elnor was just finished his jog around the housing complex and returned to his house to take a quick shower before breakfast. It was a nice exercise, he found, and it warmed his body up sufficiently which he believed would make him feel more energized during the day.

“Computer, meatroll and  _ kali-fal _ , please”, Elnor said as he passed by the replicator, hair still damp from the shower. He dried it with one sweep of his comb before taking out his tray of breakfast from the replicator. Then, he began to eat.

Already he missed the taste of fresh non-replicated bread. He used to make them back when he was still living with the Qowat Milat, but his house currently didn’t have a kitchen. Why should it, when an unit of a personal replicator would be sufficient to provide him with food, clothing, and whatever else he needed? It was more convenient this way.

After replicating his uniform and getting dressed up, Elnor left the house and walked towards the New Romulus Command. It was five in the morning and already people milled around on the street. Some of them were heading toward the Command building, he noted, and he tried to guess which division they belonged to judging from their uniforms. Occasionally, he passed Non-Romulans as they headed towards the Embassy, which located next to the Command building.

He clocked in and waited for Narek. He didn’t have to wait long, though, and after a quick briefing from one of Varok’s centurions, they relieved the previous shift guards and took their stations.

“And now comes the boring part”, Narek told him before taking his station by the security gate. Meanwhile, Elnor took the one by the holo-scanner and watched as people walked into the Command building.

And the worst thing was, Narek was  _ right _ . It was absolutely boring to stand around while the machines did their job. Occasionally one of them would beep in alarm and either Elnor or Narek had to did a more thorough check. 

It was an important job, though, Elnor told himself. Within the building was the most important figures on New Romulus, including Proconsul D’Tan himself. Elnor didn’t want to imagine what would happen if the building was left unguarded.

Elnor had never seen Proconsul D’Tan before, but Zani did when he welcomed the Qowat Milat to New Romulus. She spoke highly of him, and believed that the Proconsul would take their people to a better direction and a brighter future.

From what Elnor heard, the Proconsul was one of Ambassador Spock’s pupils and a unificationist. Now, Elnor only had a vague knowledge about history stuff, but he thought it would take great effort to reunite the Vulcans and the Romulans, seeing that the two species had been separated for two millennia.

But that was his personal opinion, anyway.

“Whew, only five days left until we’re free”, Narek said once their shift was over. The two of them headed toward the cafeteria within the Command building.

“Jumbo mollusk and  _ kali-fal _ , please”, Elnor told the replicator. As soon as his meal materialized, Elnor took the tray to sit on one corner of the cafeteria. Narek, annoyingly, followed him there, a plate of osol twists and a cup of  _ tarka  _ on his tray.

“Why are you following me?” Elnor asked as soon as Narek sat down.

“Great, you’re still mad”, Narek not-quite answered him, his hands raising in surrendering gesture. “Look, whatever it is I said that offended you, I’m sorry.”

“You don’t even know what caused me to be offended. How can you be sorry?” Elnor asked, glaring at Narek.

“Because I said dumb things all the time”, Narek answered. “No, listen, I ran my mouth a lot, and I don’t always remember it. Judging by your reaction, I somehow managed to insult you really badly without me knowing. So let me know what I did wrong so that I can avoid it next time.”

Elnor bit the inside of his cheek, before answering. “You called me ‘nun boy.’”

“Really?” Narek blinked. “Huh… Okay, I won’t call you that again, then. I’m sorry for offending you.”

This time, it was Elnor’s turn to blink. “That’s it?”

Narek shrugged. “I’m an adult. I make a mistake, I apologize, then I move on.”

Elnor mulled over what Narek said, but he couldn’t find fault in his words. Eventually, he gave Narek a nod.

“Your apology is accepted”, he said.

“Thank you”, Narek said, before taking a bite of his osol twist.

—

Days went by and Elnor and Narek resumed their duties as if nothing happened — and really, nothing important happened. People came and went the Command building and there was no incident happening — not that Elnor was complaining, really. It meant New Romulus was actually a safe place to be, and the incident with Tal Shiar and Hirogen hunters was just an one-off.

However, Elnor should have known not to let his guard down.

It was the fourth day into their disciplinary action, when the holo-scanner beeped. Normally, this would be nothing out of ordinary, and Narek would go to do a more thorough body check.

“Sir, please step to the side while we conduct a body check”, Narek told the man, a scanner in his hand. But then the man elbowed Narek in the stomach, right where his heart was, causing him to double over in pain.

“Narek!” Elnor rushed toward him.

“Go! I’m fine — just, go after him!” Narek said as he struggled to stand.

Elnor nodded and chased after the man, who had reached the front desk. As he closed in onto the man, he threw himself forward to tackle the man to the ground. They wrestled on the ground for a moment, Elnor struggling to incapacitate the man. He was ready to unsheathe his  _ tan-qalanq _ , but he managed to knock him unconscious before that could happen.

Breathing heavily, Elnor then cuffed the man’s hands behind his back and kneeled up beside the man’s prone body. That was when he noticed a wire poking out of the man’s double-breasted jacket. He ripped it open, revealing packs upon packs of explosives hidden inside.

“Oh no”, Narek said — he had closed the Command’s gate and caught up with Elnor. Elnor turned to face him, at a loss about what to do.

“Call Subcommander Varok. We need to evacuate the building”, Narek told a member of security team, before kneeling next to Elnor. His eyes examined the bomb and he seemed to know what to do.

“What should we do?” Elnor asked Narek.

“We need to find out what kind of explosive it is. Tricorder scan will set it off. When that happens, we need to defuse it immediately”, Narek answered, before taking out a tricorder and a kit from his back pocket.

“What can I do to help?” Elnor asked.

“Stay back. I might need your blade”, Narek said. Elnor nodded at him and gave him space to work. 

Meanwhile, around them, people were evacuating the building. A lot of them were panicking, though some of them stopped to watch Elnor and Narek, before they were being pushed away. Elnor turned his attention back to Narek, who was still scanning the bombs.

“It’s thalaron-based bombs, just as I thought. Tal Shiar usually uses this kind of weapon”, Narek told Elnor. “And I was right. It is activated by my tricorder scan.”

“Can you deactivate it?” Elnor asked.

“Give me a moment”, Narek said before putting on gloves and began to tinker with the machineries that was connected to the explosives. “Hm, it seems that the explosive is also connected to a cardiograph. You’re lucky you didn’t kill him — else you would be blown to bits.”

“I do  _ not _ always kill my enemies”, Elnor returned defensively.

“You did. You rather did”, Narek said, throwing him a Look.

“Just focus on the bomb”, Elnor huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

By now, the building was mostly empty, only a few security team members and Subcommander Varok watching them from the safe distance. Elnor saw apprehension in each of their face, and honestly he couldn’t blame them.

“And, done”, Narek said almost too calmly for a man who just defused a bomb. “Now you may kill him.”

“Shouldn’t we keep him alive to be interrogated?” Elnor asked, frowning.

“I know, I’m just joking”, Narek grinned at him, before turning to Subcommander Varok. “It’s done!”

Varok and the other security team members poured back into the Command building. They gave Narek a well-earned applause and congratulated him for saving the day.

Meanwhile, Elnor could only watch from the sideline, feeling a little bit useless.


	5. Chapter 5

After everything was done and over with, and the bomber getting detained and processed to be questioned, Subcommander Varok called both Elnor and Narek into his office. Elnor was having a trepidation that this would be some kind of a norm, being called into the Subcommander’s office for something that he’d done.

“I really don’t know what to do with you boys”, Varok said as he circled around Elnor and Narek, his hand on his back as he watched over them. Elnor tried not to fidget under the Subcommander’s glare, but he found that it was hard.

“Your position is rather complicated at the moment”, Varok continued. “On one hand, Proconsul D’Tan wants to give you a medal of bravery for what you’ve done during your disciplinary action.”

“On the other hand, we are still under disciplinary action. Right, Sir?” Narek piped up from Elnor’s side.

“Quite so”, Varok said. “I don’t want this event to encourage insubordination in our rank. I don’t want any more idiots to start throwing themselves around in hopes that they will get a medal for their recklessness.”

“I do not understand. Can’t we just not accept the medal?” Elnor asked.

“And risk offending the Proconsul?” Varok asked back.

“But… I didn’t even do anything, it was all Narek”, Elnor told the Subcommander. “Narek was the one who found out that the man was suspect. He was also the one who diffused the bomb.”

“Are you throwing me under the metaphorical bus?” Narek asked. He sounded offended.

“I—” Elnor paused, hesitating. That was not his intention!

“You’re not getting it yet, are you, boy?” the Subcommander asked. “The Proconsul  _ wants _ you to receive the medal — both of you. He hopes that it will boost morale. Show our people that there are good things in ourselves, if we dedicate ourselves to our cause.”

Elnor mulled over what the Subcommander had said and perked up when he finally got it.

“It’s all politics!” he exclaimed, feeling proud of himself. “It was not at all about the reward for catching the bomber. It was just politics to make the public feel better.”

“Yes, glad you finally caught up, boy”, Varok said, rolling his eyes. “Which brings us back to the beginning. What am I going to do with you boys?”

Silence hung in the room. Elnor tried to find answer to the Subcommander’s question, but he found that he couldn’t find any. All his years training with the Qowat Milat did not prepare him for this situation.

“Nothing”, Narek said suddenly. “You should do nothing. Allow the Proconsul to award us with the medal, but also allow us to finish our disciplinary action.”

“Hmm. You might be onto something”, Varok hummed as he rubbed his chin. “That way, we are appeasing the public while also making a statement to our own rank that insubordination will not be tolerated. Very well, then. We’re going to do that.”

Once it was settled, Varok dismissed Elnor and Narek. 

It was nighttime when they got out of the Command building, and both of them headed toward the housing complex. One of the planet’s moon was just beginning to rise above the treeline, and the Azure Nebula sprawled like cosmic cloud on the dark night sky. It was a beautiful night, Elnor found, and he found himself missing Vashti terribly.

“A medal, can you believe?” Narek said, breaking the silence between them. 

“I still don’t think if I deserve it”, Elnor returned with a huff. “All I did was tackling the bomber down. You did a lot more work to diffuse the bomb. That takes more skill.”

“You need to be careful with that attitude”, Narek warned.

“Why?” Elnor asked, confused.

“You’re a new guy in town, and yet you’ve earned yourself a medal, given by the Proconsul himself. We’re no longer part of the Star Empire, but I’m sure that people’s attitude remains the same. Some, I believe, will still kill for that kind of recognition”, Narek said. “If they know you don’t think you deserve it, they will tear you apart.”

“What should I do, then?” Elnor asked.

“I dunno. Pretend, maybe?” Narek suggested, and Elnor frowned.

“You mean lie”, he said.

“Think about it like this, you chased and tackled the bomber down. You contributed to the arrest of the bomber and saved a lot of people’s life today”, Narek returned. “You too, deserve a medal.”

“I find myself confused”, Elnor said. “And conflicted. I— I will need to meditate about this topic further.”

“Suit yourself”, Narek returned with a small shrug. They finally arrived at the housing complex, and Narek perked up as they walked in front one of the buildings. “Well, this is my stop. See you tomorrow at the ceremony?”

“See you”, Elnor returned, nodding, before continuing his walk to the building across the street where he lived.

He still thought about what Narek had told him when he got home. After taking a shower and dinner, he sat down on the floor mat in one corner of his room and began to meditate.

—

The ceremony was done inside Proconsul D’Tan’s office at the Command building. There were holostreamers to broadcast the event, and Elnor found himself feeling slightly jittery. The formalwear he wore felt constricting around his neck, but he managed not to fidget when the Proconsul delivered his speech about bravery, determination, and dedication.

After pinning the medal on their chest, the Proconsul stood between Narek and Elnor and told them to pose for the camera. Narek had done something to his hair, Elnor noted, and it was slicked back neatly instead of leaving it in a mess like he usually did.

He looked handsome, Elnor thought absently.

“Smile, now, boys”, Proconsul D’Tan said, and Elnor banished the thought from his mind, stood up straighter, and smiled at the camera.

Once the ceremony was done, Proconsul D’Tan invited Elnor and Narek for a luncheon meeting, where they sat across to the Proconsul on the circular table. Elnor’s training never prepared him for this kind of event, so he was grateful that he had thought to look up some formal etiquette after he finished his meditation last night. As the food began to be served, the Proconsul stared at the two of them with kind eyes.

“Sublieutenant Elnor of Vashti”, the Proconsul began, and Elnor sat up a little bit straighter. “I’ve met with Zani before. She told me that you’ve been offering invaluable assistance to the Qowat Milat, despite not being able to join their ranks. Well, I’d say that I’m glad to relieve you from their hands. You’ve been a good addition to the security division, despite your condition.”

“Thank you, Proconsul”, Elnor said and was relieved to find that his voice didn’t shake as he expected.

“And you, Sublieutenant Narek Rizzo”, the Proconsul turned to Narek, and this was the first time Elnor heard Narek’s full name. His last name sounded non-Romulan, and, well… Elnor didn’t have to wonder why for long. “You have a sister in the Federation. Lieutenant Narissa Rizzo, correct?”

“Yes, Proconsul”, Narek answered, his voice sounded tight.

“Romulan Republic has abandoned the archaic segregation of our Non-Romulan descendant. Your contribution to the Romulan Republic has been nothing but invaluable. I assure you that you will always have a place in our society, equal to the rest of us. Please be at ease, my son”, the Proconsul said.

“Thank you, Proconsul”, Narek returned, and he seemed to be more at ease, Elnor noted.

They ate and chatted. The whole thing felt almost semi-formal, semi-casual. Elnor felt tension leaving his body and he watched in silence as the Proconsul exchanged good natured humor with members of his council and vice versa. Occasionally, the Proconsul would impart some well-meaning advice to Elnor and Narek, which both of them accepted gracefully.

Eventually, the luncheon meeting ended, and finally,  _ finally _ , Elnor and Narek were dismissed. They headed toward the locker room in silence, but when Elnor was about to leave, he found that Narek was blocking his path.

“Well? Aren’t you going to say anything?” Narek said, hostility dripping from his voice, and Elnor blinked in surprise.

“I do not understand what you mean”, he returned, confused.

“Me being— being a part-Romulan. Aren’t you going to say anything about  _ that? _ ” Narek asked.

“Oh, that”, Elnor answered. “No, I have nothing to say about that.”

“W-wait— really?” Narek looked taken aback.

“Really”, Elnor returned.

Narek let out a sigh and his shoulders slumped. He eyed Elnor with indescribable expression, and Elnor found himself fidgeting under his stare.

“What… condition… that you have, that the Proconsul mentioned?” Narek asked, and Elnor let out a sigh. He was afraid Narek would ask that. “Is it medical, or—”

“I guess it is, in a way”, Elnor replied. “I’m trans. I suppose the Proconsul read about my name change and upbringing and came to the conclusion himself.”

“Oh.” It was Narek’s turn to blink. “Oh,  _ fuck _ , Elnor. I’m so sorry for calling you— you know.”

“It’s fine. You didn’t know”, Elnor told him. “And you apologized. Rather maturely too, if I remember correctly.”

“Ha! That’s a joke, right? Did you just crack a joke?” Narek asked, grinning as the two of them exited the locker room and toward the front gate.

“I claim no such thing”, Elnor returned, but he too was smiling so wide it almost ached.

After such a stressful day, he was just glad that Narek didn’t make a huge deal out of it. The last thing he needed was the Proconsul making him some kind of poster child of the queer community on New Romulus and people around him saw him differently because of it.

Except, that was probably one of the reasons why the Proconsul awarded him with the medal. Elnor found himself frowning.

_ Oh well _ , Elnor thought. It was too late now.

The best thing he could do for now was keep being him unapologetically.


	6. Chapter 6

It was a beautiful day and the rain was falling lightly outside. Elnor was having a day off from work, and he fully intended to use it to stay inside and finally unpack his meagre belonging from the chest he had taken with him from Vashti.

After pressing his thumb on the fingerprint sensor, the chest opened with a hiss, and the first thing that greeted him was a printed copy of The Three Musketeers. Elnor mentally berated his past self and took out the book out of the chest with careful hands.

The book was one of his prized possessions aside from his  _ tan-qalanq _ . It was filled with bittersweet memories — of a warm voice of a father figure, and of waiting for someone who never came back.

The book had been given to him by none other than Admiral Jean-Luc Picard of the Federation. The Admiral went away one day and never returned even though he promised that he would. Elnor’s teenage years had been filled with the feelings of self-inadequacy, of wondering if it was his fault that Picard never returned. He remembered remembering that Picard was not particularly fond of children.

It was all in the past, though, and Elnor had made peace with his feelings. Promises were a prison, Zani had told him, and Elnor had let go of his attachment to Picard. He had stopped begrudging the old man for leaving him with the Qowat Milat. He also had stopped entertaining the wishful thinking about what would happen if Picard had taken Elnor with him as a child, what would happen if he had returned out of nowhere one day.

And so the book became a memento, and Elnor treasured it just like he treasured his  _ tan-qalanq _ . It was slightly worn with use and age, even though Elnor was always so careful when handling it.

Right now, he put the book back into the chest, before taking out the next item he had put inside.

It was a holo picture of his ‘graduation’ from the Qowat Milat. He had gone through a trial to earn his  _ tan-qalanq _ and a Zhal Makh to gain knowledge of his true self. In the picture, he and Zani were smiling widely at the camera — Zani’s smile was that of a proud mother, while his was happiness for finishing the trials.

He placed the projector on his desk, next to his computer unit.

That was when his computer beeped from an incoming call. Elnor waved his hand absently to accept the call, while walking back to his chest. He wasn’t surprised to see Zani’s face popping up on the screen.

“Jolan tru, my child”, Zani greeted him warmly.

“Jolan tru, Zani”, Elnor returned, before taking his collection of trinkets he had gathered when visiting various places as  _ qalankhkai _ throughout the years. He arranged them neatly on the windowsill.

Zani’s head tilted slightly as her eyes observed him.

“Am I correct to guess that you’ve just begun to unpack  _ now? _ ” she tutted.

“It had been a busy week”, Elnor told her, as he moved one of the trinkets slightly to the left. Then, he turned to face Zani on the screen. “I’m sorry I haven’t been able to visit you at the new monastery.”

“You sound very busy. Does your work take up most of your time?” Zani asked, and Elnor could hear concern in her voice.

“Not really”, Elnor answered. “You know how it is, going out on patrols and stuff. Not to mention that I had to go through a disciplinary action.”

“A disciplinary action?!” Zani cried out. “My son, what mischief are you up to now?”

“Nothing! I got into trouble for disobeying a direct order, but it was necessary for me to do so”, Elnor explained. “People’s lives were at stake. You know how it is.”

“I trust you are doing the best in the circumstance, my child”, Zani said. “I saw you on the ‘streamer. You helped detaining a bomber from blowing up the Command building. Am I correct to guess that the event happened during your disciplinary action?”

“It was”, Elnor answered with a nod. “My colleague, Narek, did more than I did. He was the one who diffused the bomb.”

“Ah, but you still did  _ something _ — else, why would the Proconsul award you with a medal of bravery?” Zani asked. There was a twinkle in her eyes that was even visible through the screen.

“Narek said so too”, Elnor replied. “If you too are saying the same, then I suppose the two of you must be right.”

“I’m always right. You know this, my child”, Zani said, her smile widening. “Now, why don’t you tell me about this colleague of yours. Narek, was his name?”

And that was how he ended up telling Zani about Narek and the other security team members. 

All in all, it was good to talk to her again, and Elnor promised that he would call her at least once a week. Zani accepted this with grace, before she ended the call. Elnor felt his heart swelling with happiness, and he continued to unpack in a good mood.

—

A new week came, and both Elnor and Narek had been taken off from the guard duty. They rejoined the other security team members in the briefing room and waited for Subcommander Varok to arrive.

“Here comes our heroes!” Saehha teased when Elnor and Narek walked into the room. 

Elnor knew she was just teasing, but still he couldn’t help blushing a bit at the attention. He tried to remember what Narek and Zani said, but he wasn’t used to people praising what he’d done. Such was the life of being a  _ qalankhkai _ — it was such a thankless job sometimes.

“Gather up, boys, girls, and neither”, Subcommander Varok said as he strode into the room. Elnor breathed out in relief as the crowd around him turned their attention to Varok instead.

“No missing case today, thank the Elements, so it’s just normal patrol”, Subcommander Varok said, “I’m splitting you up into four groups, so listen up!”

Elnor and Narek got assigned to patrol Isha Forest, along with the other three security members whose names were still a mystery to Elnor. Oh well, he thought, they could get to know each other later. He hoped that the patrol would be an uneventful one, but he probably should not keep his hopes up.

Since the forest was too dense for a shuttle to land, they took the transporter pad instead. As soon as they rematerialized, an energy bullet wheezed past and hit one of the security members right in her chest.

“Tholians!” Elnor heard Narek shout as he ducked behind a nearby tent. Elnor and the rest of the security members followed his lead and dragged the downed security member away from shooting range.

Elnor unsheathed his  _ tan-qalanq  _ as he assessed the situation around them. More than a dozen scientists were hiding behind tents and trees as several Tholians closed in on them. The Tholians were wearing EV suits, due to the fact that they would freeze solid and shatter in what would be normal temperature for Romulans.

This was a problem, Elnor thought. The Tholians’ EV suit seemed impenetrable, but Elnor had learned to be resourceful when the situation asked for it. Right now, he had several civilians depending on him.

Rolling out of his cover, Elnor darted toward one of the Tholians. They began to shoot at him immediately, but Elnor simply danced around their bullets and dashed forward. Using their own leg as leverage, Elnor climbed up the Tholian and, using the hilt of his blade, smashed their visor. They screeched as their face froze and shattered, and Elnor climbed down just in time as the Tholian fell to the ground.

His eyes met with Narek briefly, before he turned and rushed toward another Tholian.

“Hanur, Laekh, shoot at their face!” he could hear Narek shout, and the security members, boldened by Elnor’s success, began to duck out of their cover and started to shoot at the Tholians.

But the Tholians were smart. The one who Elnor had killed was a lower ranked one, judging by their size, and the higher ranked one knew not to make the same mistake. When Elnor approached one of the bigger ones, the Tholian swung one of its front legs and smacked Elnor away.  _ Hard. _

Elnor blacked out momentarily as his body was flung away and his back hit a rock. Dimly, he could hear people shouting — whether at the Tholians or at him, he didn’t know.

By the Gods, it hurt.

His ears were ringing and he felt like if he opened his eyes, he was going to throw up. It felt like he blacked out again because he could barely feel someone shaking his body.

“— nor! Elnor!” he heard Narek shouted at him and Elnor cracked his eyes open slightly. It seemed someone — probably Narek — had moved him away from the battle and behind one of the tents. Elnor shook his head and blinked his eyes several times to clear his vision.

“M’okay”, Elnor slurred out.

“Okay my ass! You could have a concussion for all I know!” Narek scolded him, and  _ ow  _ — Elnor felt his head throbbing in pain. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Stay here, I’m going to call Varok for some backup.”

Elnor didn’t think he could move even if he really wanted to. Narek was right — he could be having a concussion. He couldn’t just move around, lest he made things worse.

He tried to rest, all while keeping his ears open and his blade ready just in case he was being attacked. When he managed to crack his eyes open once again, Klingon force had overrun the forest. One of them kneeled by Elnor’s side. They held up a tricorder to scan for his injury.

“You seem to have a fractured skull”, the Klingon medic said. “And a concussion. But that’s given. I’m going to transport you back to New Romulus Command.”

“Thank you for your assistance”, Elnor told the Klingon medic.

“Rest up now. You’ve fought with honor, young one”, the Klingon medic said before Elnor felt the feeling of being beamed away.


End file.
